20 Jordanian Women Died in 2000 in \'Honor Killings\'

Twenty Jordanian women were killed in 2000 by relatives defending family honor.

Twenty Jordanian women were killed in 2000 by relatives defending family honor, the leader of a nationwide campaign to end honor killings said Sunday.

The latest victim was killed by relatives six weeks ago and her body discovered only this weekend by police, activist Rana Husseini told AFP.

According to the Sunday edition of the Jordan Times, two brothers beat their sister to death after they saw her talking to a man during her wedding party.

The two brothers then buried 19-year-old Marasem R. and ordered their other sister not to reveal the crime.

After keeping the murder a secret for six weeks, fearing for her own life, she tipped off the police this weekend, and Marasem's body was exhumed from a cemetery in the Kryemeh area of the Jordan Valley, the Jordan Times said Sunday, quoting the police.

The Jordanian parliament last year rejected a government bill to abolish Article 340 of the penal code, which lets "honor killers" avoid heavy sentences. A murderer in Jordan would ordinarily face the death penalty.

"We are currently studying, together with the government, a new strategy to obtain the abrogation of this law in 2001," Husseini said.

The year's toll of 20 honor killings is roughly the same as in previous years, according to official data.

With only five million inhabitants, Jordan has one of the highest honor killing rates in the world -- AMMAN (AFP)